Comparison of Aintree and Fastrach techniques for low-skill fibreoptic intubation in patients at risk of secondary cervical injury: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: We compared two methods of asleep fibreoptic intubation in patients at risk of secondary cervical injury: the Aintree Intubation Catheter via a classic laryngeal mask airway (cLMA) versus the Fastrach technique via the intubating laryngeal mask airway (iLMA).

Objective: To test which system has the highest rate of successful intubations in the clinical setting.

Design: A randomised controlled study.

Awake fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning in patients at risk of secondary cervical injury: a pilot study.

Background: This study was designed to document the feasibility of self-positioning after awake fiberoptic intubation of the trachea using primarily effective topical anesthesia rather than sedation.

Methods: We investigated 14 patients (ASA physical status 1 to 3) with a neurosurgical diagnosis of cervical instability or at risk of secondary cervical injury, who were scheduled for awake fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning prone. Topical anesthesia was accomplished using an oropharyngeal spray of lidocaine alone or in combination with a transtracheal injection of lidocaine for awake fiberoptic intubation and self-positioning prone.

Recordings of long-latency trigeminal somatosensory-evoked potentials in patients under general anaesthesia.

Objective: The reliability of intra-operative recordings of trigeminal scalp-induced somatosensory-evoked potentials (T-SSEP) is controversial. This investigation aimed to provide evidence that T-SSEP recordings are stable using standardised neurophysiological methodology and anaesthesiological regime.

Methods: We investigated 99 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy under total intravenous anaesthesia (propofol/remifentanil infusion).

Two times unlucky: treatment of repeated adjacent vertebral fractures following posterolateral interbody fusion.

Posterolateral interbody fusion with cages and posterior fixation is a widespread, accepted method in the treatment of lumbar instability with and without spinal stenosis. Adjacent level instability was occasionally detected in the neighbouring discs. A fracture of the adjacent vertebral body including the upper disc was not reported in the literature.

Serum S-100B protein in severe head injury.

Objective: Despite the significant recent progress in cerebral monitoring, it is still difficult to quantify the extent of primary brain injury and ongoing secondary damage after head injury. The objective of our study was to investigate S-100B protein as a serum marker of brain damage after severe head injury.

Methods: Eighty-four patients with severe head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score < or =8) were included in this prospective study.